TASK 7 – PAGE 80 - 81 (BSA 1C_AGUSTINA CORDERO)

1. Type of document (Encircle the letter that corresponds to your answer.) Letter

2. Date of the document: January 1888

3. Author of the document: Dr. Jose Rizal

4. Who is the audience of this document?

The government, Rizal's intended audience for this document, responds by questioning
the Calamba tenants about the Dominican hacienda rent they paid. He wrote this petition to
inform his family about what is going on at Hacienda de Calamba and the injustices that are
taking place there.

5. List three things in the important document.

The document drafted by Rizal begins with the Dominican Friars' injustices to the
tenants on their land. The document's three main points are as follows: the first is the
Dominican Friars' incorrect taxation, in which they collected a large sum of money from
tenants without receiving a receipt. The second is the Friars' altering of contacts to raise the
rent and abuse their power over the Inquilinous and Sharecroppers, as well as their families.
The third is a significant decrease in the estate's production, which has been occurring not
only this year but for the previous three years.

6. Why was this document written? Cite pieces of evidence in the document that support your
answer.

This Document is written by Jose’ Rizal not just to help the people and
families in the Hacienda but to start this petition and inform the government and other
people to what are the unfair wrongdoings by the Friars which was collected from
 the interviews made to the tenants like the unnecessary payments for the objects in
their rented land, the increase in town lots every time the friar’s servants measures it,
the payment from their harvest which is tenfold to what they harvested and
lastly, the threats that they get when they try to get out of that land, that's why this
a petition was also put in hope that this will help them put end to these injustices.
7. List two things that tell you about life in the Philippines at the same time the document was
written.

 The agricultural development benefited the colonizers, particularly the friars.

Agricultural disputes were one of the most pressing socio-economic issues at the
time. Farmers were subjected to unfair land seizures, unreasonable rent increases
imposed by hacienda owners on their tenants, and a direct tiller without land was
provided. Some of them have been evicted as well. In turn, the farmers actively
expressed their concerns to the government, but they were eventually ignored. This
game provides the tenants with more than enough reasons to persecute them. Farmers,
too, have been poorly funded to support our company while being treated horribly by
the government to sustain our agricultural sector.

 Abuse of Power and Injustice are two words that can describe the Philippines at the
time because the Dominican Friar and even most of the Estate owners at the time used
their power and rank in society to get ahead of others, especially those who were
lower in their ranks. Especially the lives of the farmers who were deeply in debt just
to pay the Dominican friars. Tenants who have land have fought hard for their rights
despite the Dominican friars' power and intimidation. Farmers are discouraged from
seeing that the land they own is unjustified. Despite everything that was going on at
the time, the tenants were unwilling to be heard.

8. Write a question to the author that is not answered by the document.

 If I were to ask the author, Jose' Rizal, a question that was not answered in the document,
it would be why he waited three years before doing the petition, or if he did not have any
idea at the time, knowing his family is on the same land and knowing their background, why
did they not do some preliminary actions and wait for Rizal to do the petition, also aside
from the petition, knowing Rizal is known for his literary works and talent in letters, what
else did he do it this time to help the tenants, knowing that at the end the court still favors the
Friars.